Zhuhai is the most comfortable city in the delta to live in and the most complicated to sit next to. It shares a land border with Macau, it is linked to Hong Kong by a fifty five kilometre bridge, and both of those are customs boundaries rather than city limits.
We match you with one vetted mover from our network that handles cross boundary work. That matters here more than the district does, because a Zhuhai move very often has Macau or Hong Kong at one end of it.
Zhuhai has its own deep water port at Gaolan in the west of the municipality, and Nansha and Shenzhen are both within reach. Having a local terminal is unusual for a city this size in the delta.
Zhuhai is better served than its size suggests. Gaolan, in the west of the municipality, is a genuine deep water port and can take your container directly, which removes the long delta drive that most cities in the region live with. Nansha and Shenzhen are both alternatives if a sailing there suits your dates better.
The crossings are what make this city different.
Macau sits immediately south, and the border at Gongbei is one of the busiest land crossings anywhere in the world. Hengqin, the island district to the west, has its own crossing and a special zone arrangement. A household move between Zhuhai and Macau is an international one: goods are exported from the mainland and imported into a separate customs territory. The drive takes minutes. The paperwork does not.
Hong Kong is reached by the bridge and tunnel link across the estuary, fifty five kilometres of it, opened in 2018. Vehicle access is controlled and permits are required, so this is not a route your mover will use casually, but it exists and it changes what is practical.
For a straightforward move from Britain to a Zhuhai address, none of this applies and the job is simple. It matters when the origin or the destination is on the other side of one of those lines.
Zhuhai is the easiest delta city to deliver in, and the reason is planning. It was developed with height limits and green space in a way its neighbours were not, so it is lower, greener and less congested than Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
Xiangzhou, in the east near the Macau border, is the main urban district and where most international residents live. A mix of mid rise and modern towers, mostly with lifts, on wide streets. The older blocks near the border are denser but still manageable.
Hengqin, the island to the south west adjacent to Macau, is the newest development. Purpose built, planned throughout, and increasingly where cross boundary business housing sits. Access is excellent.
Jinwan, around the airport in the south west, is newer and more spread out, with easy roads and newer compounds.
Doumen, in the north west, is more rural and agricultural in character with scattered development. Access is fine but distances are longer.
The coastal setting brings the standard Guangdong typhoon exposure from June to September. Zhuhai sits on the open estuary and takes weather directly, so a held sailing in high summer is common enough to plan around.
One practical note about living here. A lot of Zhuhai residents cross to Macau daily for work, which means the housing market and the school choices are shaped by that border in a way they are not anywhere else in mainland China.
Zhuhai prices at the lower end of the delta, because the city is easy to deliver in and it has its own port. The exception is anything crossing to Macau or Hong Kong, which is a customs job rather than a driving one and priced accordingly.
Plan for around £250 to £950
Single postings, teachers and people working across the border in Macau.
Plan for around £1,200 to £3,100
Apartment moves into Xiangzhou or Hengqin.
Plan for around £3,400 to £7,900
Family relocations, often tied to a cross boundary posting.
Tell us whether a border is involved at either end. That single answer decides whether this is a simple job or a customs one.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles everything. It is free, with no obligation. Get a relocation quote today and hold your dates.
Send your move detailsCall 07551 855 064 or +447551855064. Message us on WhatsApp.
Mainland requirements apply to a Zhuhai delivery: a valid residence permit, a full valued inventory and your passport details. The point specific to this city is that Macau is a separate customs territory with its own import rules, so anything crossing needs handling at both ends regardless of the distance.
The national rules are the same across mainland China, so the detail on permits, restricted goods and the cultural relics rule is set out in full on the China removals and shipping page. Read that before you start packing, particularly the section on items made before 1949.
A good share of moves out of Zhuhai are not international departures at all in the ordinary sense. People cross to Macau, or come the other way, and the drive is a matter of minutes. It is still an international move and should be arranged as one.
For Britain, apply for Transfer of Residence relief with HMRC before the goods leave. For a Macau move, the territory has its own import procedure and your mover should handle both sides. Anything made before 1949 needs a Chinese export certificate before it leaves the mainland, whether it is going four thousand miles or four.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Zhuhai flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Zhuhai touches Macau and reaches Hong Kong by bridge. Both are separate customs territories with their own rules and their own pages.
For the full picture on routes, sea freight, rail freight, costs and Chinese customs, start at the China shipping and moving page.
Yes. Gaolan, in the west of the municipality, is a genuine deep water terminal and can take your container directly. That removes the long delta drive most cities in the region live with. Nansha and Shenzhen are both alternatives if a sailing there suits your dates better.
No. Macau is a separate customs territory, so goods are exported from the mainland and imported into Macau even though the two cities touch. The crossing at Gongbei takes minutes. The paperwork is a full international move and should be arranged as one.
In principle. The bridge and tunnel link runs fifty five kilometres across the estuary and opened in 2018, but vehicle access is controlled and permits are required. It is not a route a mover will use casually, though it exists and changes what is practical for a cross boundary move.
Easier than anywhere else in the delta. The city was developed with height limits and green space, so it is lower, greener and less congested than Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Streets are wide, compounds are planned and lifts generally work.
Xiangzhou, the main urban district in the east near the Macau border, holds the majority. Hengqin, the island to the south west, is newer and increasingly where cross boundary business housing sits. Both are straightforward for delivery.
Six to eight weeks door to door by sea. Roughly thirty five days sailing, clearance at Gaolan, Nansha or Shenzhen depending on the routing, and then a short road leg. Air freight into Zhuhai or Guangzhou takes about ten days at considerably higher cost.
Yes, roughly June to September. The city sits on the open estuary and takes weather directly rather than being sheltered upriver. Sailings get held and a delayed container may need storage that was not in the original quote. Spring and late autumn run more predictably.
A valid residence permit, a complete inventory with values and your passport details. The goods should be used personal effects arriving as one shipment within the permitted window after you enter the country. These are national rules and apply the same way in Zhuhai.
Whichever side your goods are being delivered to. A Zhuhai address follows mainland rules and needs a mainland residence permit. A Macau address follows Macau's own import procedure. If your move crosses the border, both apply, at each end of a very short journey.
Send your collection address, your Zhuhai district, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the access and the paperwork, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.